All natural, chemical free laundry soap is cheap and easy to make. The basic recipe contains Washing Soda and a pure soap. Other “basic” recipes might include Borax and essential oils. They aren’t necessary, but boost the power of the soap and add scents. From there, there are many levels of ingredients to add.

This recipe makes 1 gallon for 64 loads.

You’ll need:

3 bars pure soap (Fels-Naptha, Zote, Ivory, Castile…)

1 box Borax

1 box Washing Soda

Essential Oil of Choice (40 drops) (I use Lemon with either Lavender or Orange)

Cut the soap into small pieces to grate and put into the grinder/processor. I used to only grate the soap, but it kept separating from the powder. Now I put it in the food processor to make it a powder and it stays mixed.

Use about 1/3 of the bar at a time for a small grinder. Add about 1-2 Tbs of the powder mix to the soap before grinding to keep it from clumping.

Before pouring it back into the bowl, add a few drops of essential oil per each of the batches for a total of 40 drops.

Pour back into the bowl. Repeat with the rest of the soap.

All the powdered soap should be gently stirred in with the rest of the powder mix. *You might want to cover your mouth and nose with something as the powder with be in the air.

*You might have an invisible layer of soap powder on your arms and hands when you’re done. Don’t forget to wash up. No need for soap 🙂

I’ve been cleaning my floors with vinegar for years. A little vinegar in a bucket of hot water is amazing.
I’ve heard vinegar can be used for many other things, including glass cleaner. So the last time I ran out of glass cleaner, I decided to just use vinegar and water…and wallah! It works.
So what else does vinegar do?

Vinegar is a degreaser, deodorizer and a disinfectant.

Vinegar mixed with a few other ingredients can do all this and more!
Mop floors
Deodorize carpets
Clean glass
Remove mold, mildew, rust and soap scum on all kinds of items.
Fabric softener
Repellent insects, including termites!